


Chapter 0: A Hero

by Lokiiwood



Series: Vanderwood's Story [2]
Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, Mild Blood, Mint Eye
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-01
Updated: 2019-01-01
Packaged: 2019-10-02 10:11:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,270
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17262350
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lokiiwood/pseuds/Lokiiwood
Summary: (Happy New Year! This is a teaser for the upcoming Vanderwood After Story that takes place after 11 Days of Vanderwood)Yoosung wasn’t a good actor, but luckily he didn’t need to be. His look and the bodyguards were proof enough for the Mint Eye ‘Believers’ who were desperate to impress their leader with a rich recruit who was interested in their cause.





	Chapter 0: A Hero

Yoosung.

He shouldn’t have told them his real name but it seemed to work more in his favor than against. “Savior was close to someone named Yoosung, I’m sure she’d love you.”

Yes, this person targeting you would ‘love’ him and the very idea of it made him sick. But he’d do anything to help you - even use his guards inappropriately. He’d already accepted that after this, Jumin would never hire him as an intern in C&R. He sat in the back of the van, wedged uncomfortably between the two bodyguards who were just as stiff. The ‘misunderstood, rich boy’ circled a lazy finger on his knee, pressing into the silky, black fabric that made up his suit. It was so uncomfortable, everything happening was so _uncomfortable_.

Yoosung wasn’t a good actor, but luckily he didn’t need to be. His look and the bodyguards were proof enough for the Mint Eye ‘Believers’ who were desperate to impress their leader with a rich recruit who was interested in their cause. They preached about a sanctuary they were building together, and how happy everyone there was under the leadership of an angel.

They were delusional but sane enough to still exercise caution. They wouldn't bother Savior with his interest just yet. Instead, they wanted to bring Yoosung and his bodyguards to their base so they could introduce him and convince him to invest in their ‘organization.’ At some point, they were to give up their phones and the windows would obstruct their view. They stressed the importance of secrecy to Savior, who only wanted to protect her Believers from the poisonous outside world that had ridiculed them in the first place. During the explanation, the second Believer had even been moved to tears over how considerate she was.

Exhausting, really. But Yoosung bore it all with as much of a straight face as he could muster. Terror and the need to pull over so he could run fought against his need to be useful, the need to save you. If he stayed home and did nothing when he had the opportunity to do this - the only one who _could_ do this, then could he ever look you in the eyes again and say he was your friend?

“Alright, Mr. Yoosung, your phone, please. We'll just leave them in the glove box and drive you back after. Is that alright?"

He gave a half-hearted smile and fished out his phone, which was already off. He glanced over at the two guards beside him, scowling and giving each other skeptical looks before also taking out their phones. The Believer gave a smile and collected all three in their hand before checking the phones were off. With a nod, they were carefully placed in the glove box.

As it clicked close, his heavy heart still managed to lurch. Yoosung had no communication with you - phone or no phone. He had pleaded for a reply, going as far as to knowingly guilt trip even though his comparisons of you to Rika were real. But you still never gave a response and all he gained was guilt, especially after learning from Zen he shouldn’t be prying into your location and he’d probably made your situation worse. And that was before searching for you on his own as he was doing now.

_Please be alright._

Yoosung didn’t make conversation, afraid of what would happen if he did. He wasn’t a trained spy, he wasn’t even trained in adult social etiquette. Even if he had wanted to join Mint Eye, he’d still be the awkward mess he always was.

“I can’t guarantee we’ll be able to give you a direct meeting with the Savior, it’s a busy time for u-”

“That’s fine!” he blurted out. He didn’t _want_ to see Savior, he’d lose his mind if they so much as _looked_ at him while he knew you were a hostage. Disgusting. No. Seeing Savior would ruin his mission and probably get his two bodyguards hurt. They liked and trusted him enough to agree to his crazy plan, he couldn't go and destroy that.

The Believers shot him a smile then, and again when they finally stopped the vehicle.

His breaths came in ragged and out in puffs. The mountain air was frigid, enough to be an excuse for his clammy hands as he stepped out the vehicle. Yoosung straightened his suit, fixing what he believed was his most ‘haughty, rich boy’ expression. He was in front of a castle - a white exterior with a mint-colored eye waving proudly on a banner. These people were serious.

He let himself be led into a small building, down a pristine hall with no decorations or Believers to make the space feel alive. Even the air itself felt dead and dry, just as still and cold as the outside. The two escorts stopped in front of a door with several locks on it, exchanging a worrisome look before turning to face him and his bodyguards.

“Unless your guards are interested in joining, this is where we have to part. They can wait outside this door should they wish to intervene, but…”

The other cleared their throat. “We're already pushing limits with them being here at all. It's only because of your unique circumstances that we allowed them this far.”

The apologies adorned on their faces only made Yoosung more nauseous. Why were they acting like they were doing him some huge favor, like this was a high-class club and not a dangerous cult of kidnappers? Were you here in this very building?

Yoosung turned to face the guards and fixed them with a stare. He already knew their answer, but he had to do this. They'd already come so far.

“Please.”

The weak, barely audible request made him lick his lips and stand straighter. He wasn't a meek university student right now - he was a wealthy, spoiled boy in control of his bodyguards.

“You will wait here for me.”

“We only ask for an hour today, Mr. Yoosung,” one piped up behind him.

“Just one hour,” he repeated.

The two men exchanged glances and nodded, but said nothing more.

“Thank you…”

Yoosung returned to face his escorts and - trembling hands and all - found himself walking alone in Mint Eye.

Behind the doors was a different world, Believers in identical black robes walked down the clean, red carpet with gold-framed gothic surrealist art he didn't really understand. They paid him no mind, whispering amongst themselves as they completed basic house upkeep tasks - a laundry basket was in one pair of arms while another carried a mop and another carried a feather duster.

If he didn't know better, it'd look like a bunch of nuns enjoying a communal cleaning night. They looked largely normal, happy even. But as they passed him, his doubts returned. Was it happiness as much as blank resignation? The looks in their eyes were...unnatural.

“This area is a special place! Those without specialized skill are tasked with honing one to help Savior. Because she is so gracious to accept everyone, all can find purpose and a quiet, new family.”

So, Savior was a 'she' and these people came willingly. Rejects? Outcasts? Coming from a loving family, he couldn't relate to their situation but he'd been with the RFA enough to sympathize anyway. They stopped in front of a busy door and a pleasant scent of bread and honey wafted through.

“This is our kitchen, all Believers eat together. Please excuse the renovation, we are expecting a large intake of new Believers in the next couple of weeks so are speeding up our expansion.”

He gulped and shoved his hands in his suit pockets. A large new intake? It had to be the party. Yoosung didn't have time, he had to hurry, he _needed_ to leave here with information.

“My father...my...I have business in formal gatherings. Is there anything like that here?”

The two escorts’ eyes went wide, but they looked at him perplexed rather than excited.

Yoosung cleared his throat and feigned disinterest. “I suppose one of my deciding factors is if my skills would waste or not here…”

They nodded vigorously and hurried down the rest of the hallway. “Of course, Mr. Yoosung! You're exactly what we need, in fact! Mint Eye recruits by-”

The other person spoke over them. “We recruit _at_ social gatherings. We are always looking for leaders with experience in things like parties. Would that interest you?”

His reply came out tight. “‘Course.”

They exchanged a smile and led him out the hallway into the corridor on the opposite side of the building his guards were, whispering a small argument to each other.

The one with loose lips stepped away and the other spoke. “Mr. Yoosung, only initiated Believers can go to the party, so we'll be unable to show you definite proof of Mint Eye's capabilities.”

His hands clenched in his suit pockets. “So what's the solution?”

Yoosung knew what he was asking - oh hell, _why_ was he asking? How far did initiations go? Would it be like in movies where he had to do something gross like eat a pig heart? Would it be like in university where he had to do something dangerous like jump naked in a cold pool? Would they take his eye? Maybe not that, it seemed most people had their limbs here.

“Well…”

“Maybe we can compromise?”

“How far are you willing to go to prove your loyalty?”

✉ ⇢ ☾ √ ☽ ⇠ ✉

Yoosung’s trembling fingers marked off inventory as other Believers carried containers out of the trucks and into the back of the building. The pen was hard to hold with the gauze caked around each finger even if it wasn't painful. His bodyguards were nowhere to be seen, ‘fired’ as far as Mint Eye knew, but had actually been returned to regular guard staff. They knew exactly where he was, but they hadn't been able to speak since his initiation.

You were already here, checking guests in against your will. He wondered if you'd be angry with him for going so far, but it didn't matter anymore.

“Mr. Yoosung, what do you think so far?”

P25, the name of the loose-lipped Believer who'd been by his side throughout his ordeal, shot him a knowing smile. Since he wasn't official Mint Eye until he was properly cleansed, he was able to retain his name so far. After Rika's party, she would grant him one.

His grip tightened on the pen and he hissed, releasing it immediately. Blood was already seeping through his middle finger's bandage and he sighed.

“It's organized well,” he admitted. “But I think the packaging could've been more efficient.”

P25's eyes sparkled. How ironic that Rika's teachings had helped so much in his infiltration of her own plans. “More efficient? How so?”

He nodded to the few boxes left on the truck. “There's too much packaging in the boxes with no fragile items. It's unnecessary weight, and it would've been better for us to invest in high-quality tape for the wine boxes instead of double and triple-wrapping.

They nodded eagerly and grinned. “Oh! I'm so excited for you to meet Savior!”

He exhaled and gave a small smile. “Yeah.”

Yoosung felt the return of the debilitating quease in his gut. Part of him still believed it wasn't the Rika he knew despite the pictures that adorned the inner castle walls and ‘cleansing’ room. Would it be better to think of this person as a vengeful ghost haunting her body, wet and cracked from the ocean? Or would he rather she still be dead?

Both somehow seemed better than thinking this was his cousin as she always was, alive and deceitful - a monster who had broken his heart and made him hate an innocent man who was still in love.

He bit back his tears and marked off the last of the boxes. It didn't matter now, did it? Whoever this Rika was needed to be stopped. After it was over, he could help her if it was indeed Rika. P25 closed and locked the back of the trucks, a wild thrill in their eyes that he now knew was madness.

Following them inside the building, Believers looked just like the other caterers. Everyone was in suits, fixing trays and excitedly chatting in whispers. With no phone in his pocket, Yoosung felt naked and out of place. It was an opportunity. He kept his head down and weaved through the crowd towards the main floor before a heavy hand clenched his shoulder.

“Mr. Yoosung! Where are you going?”

The tight-lipped, suspicious Believer who'd done his initiation fixed him with their same, cold stare they always did. A sharp pain erupted through his hands just looking back at them.

“I want to scout the rest of the party set-up for my assessment. For P25.”

They cocked their head to the side. Distant memories of guns and zombies made his breath falter as he gazed back wordlessly. With a sigh, the Believer let go of his shoulder and smiled.

“Alright, could you please return with your assessment in an hour?”

“Yeah.”

He hurried into the main ballroom and felt his knees wobbling. All the smiles looked the same - there still weren’t too many guests yet, but it didn’t matter. He couldn’t tell anyone apart. They were all floating ghosts with mint-glazed eyes. Yoosung tiptoed around the room. He hadn’t lied. He was assessing the party set-up - for the best way to destroy it. What would make people put their drink down and exit the building as peacefully as possible?


End file.
